Portable containers for pipe fittings and the like



C. KATES' PORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR PIPE FITTINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 7, 1958 INVENTOR.

CHARLES KATES Iii 3751040 as \ll a ATLI'OR'NEYS Sept. 29, 1959 c. KATES 2,906,431

PORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR PIPE FITTINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 7, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I I I I 3| F/g. 4 25 I I I7 i Q a? 229 so 26 4 Fig.5

INVENTOR.

CHARLES KATES n I 37 A BIG 36 37 ATTORNEYS F fg. 7

Sept. 29, 1959 c, T s 2,906,431

PORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR PIPE FITTINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 7, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

CHARLES KATES ATTORNEYS Sept. 29, 1959 c. KATES 2,906,431

PORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR PIPE FITTINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 7, 195a 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 yin B "I H s| 6| I 34@ I l:% I 340 l 33 32 32 3a' v I ll I ll /62 62 l I l H I l i i I l 60 l l 60 i! INVENTOR.

CHARLES KATES J Q 5 (QMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent PORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR PIPE FITTINGS AND THE LIKE Charles Kates, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Union Malleable Mfg. Company, Ashland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 7, 1958, Serial No. 753,818

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-115) This invention relates generally to containers, but has reference more particularly to portable containers for pipe fittings and the like.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a portable container of the character described, which, although made of corrugated paper board or the like, is extremely strong and rigid, and is well adapted for the purposes for which it has been designed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable container of the character described, having convenient, easily accessible, means for carrying the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable container of the character described which is made of parts which can be quickly and easily assembled, and maintained in assembled condition by unitary or integral parts of the container, and without the use of extraneous or separate fastening means or other means of attachment.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the container, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of the container is made;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the handle or carrying part is made;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the divider blanks of the container;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of the container;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 9, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the blank from which the handle or carrying part of the container of Fig. 9 is made.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive of the drawings, the container will be seen to consist of four parts, a body part generally designated A, a handle or carrying part generally designated B, and two dividers or divider parts, generally designated C.

The body part A, as best shown in Fig. 6, is made from a single flat blank of corrugated paper board, and comprises a central rectangular portion, delimited by the broken lines 2 and 3, and having a fold area 4, spaced parallel slots 5 and 6 which intersect the fold area 4, and hand holes 7 and 8 at opposite sides of the fold area,

Patented Sept. 29, 1959 .12 and 13, and the portion 10 being delimited by the broken lines 3, 14, 15 and 16. The portion 9 is also provided adjacent the line 12 with compressible areas 17 formed by slitting the surface of the blank at the lines 17, and the portion 10 is similarly provided adjacent the line 15 with compressible areas .18, formed by slitting the surface of the blank at the lines 18.

Extending from the base portion 9 is a rectangular flap 19 having a fold area 20 extending centrally thereof, provided at its outer edge with spaced tongues 21. Extending from the base portion 10 is a similar rectangular flap 22 having a fold area 23 extending centrally thereof and provided at its outer edge with spaced tongues 24.

Extending from the ends of the base portion 9 are portions 25, each in the form of a trapezoid, having parallel sides 26 and 27, and an inclined side 28, these sides providing fold lines. Extending from the sides 26 and 27 are rectangular flaps, 29 and 30 respectively, and extending from the sides 28 are flaps 31, which are of substantially the same shape or form as the trapezoid portions 25. Each of the flaps 30 is provided at one end with a tongue 30a.

The blank B, as best shown in Fig. 7, is of rectangular form, and is provided along its central portion with a fold area 31a, with fold lines 32 and 33, and fold areas 34, all parallel with the fold area 31a, and providing portions 35, 36, 37 and 38, the function of which will appear hereinafter.

The blank B is also provided with hand holes 39 and 40 at opposite sides of the fold area, and with spaced parallel slots 41 and 42 which extend from the lines 33 and across the lines 32.

Each of the divider blanks is of the form shown in Fig. 8, and is provided with a horizontal base edge 43, vertical front edges 44, sloping front edges 45 and 46, and an edge 47 which is parallel with the base edge 43. The blank is funther provided with slots 48, 49 and 50, the function of which will presently appear, and with a fold line 51.

:In assembling the container, the blank A is first folded at the area 4 to provide spaced vertical walls, which form a central longitudinally extending partition, dividing the container into two main compartments, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The blank A is then folded along the lines 2 and 3 to provide horizontal base portions for the container, and at this point, the blank is folded along the lines 11, 1 3, 14, 16, 26, 27 and 28, so that the portions 25, 29, 30 and 31 are disposed in the manner best shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The flaps 31 are folded at the lines 28 against the portions 25, and the latter are then folded at the lines 11, 13, 14 and 16 to a vertical position to provide end walls for the container. At the same time, the portions 29 are folded at the lines 26 to a position at right angles to the portions 25, so as to occupy a vertical position overlying the lines 12 and 15, and the por tions 30 are folded at the lines 27 to provide flaps which are inserted into the space between the Walls 1 (see Figs. 4 and 5), the flaps 30 being secured to the area 4 of the blank A by inserting the tongues 30a thereof into the slots 4a and 4b.

The flap 19 is then folded at the fold area 20 to embrace the portions 29 of the blank, in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and is locked in position by inserting the tongues 21 into the compressible areas 17. The flap 22 is similarly folded at the fold area 23 to embrace the portions 29 at the other side of the blank, and is locked in posi 3 tion by inserting the tongues 24 into the compressible areas 18.

After the blank A has been set up, the divider blanks C are folded at the lines 51, and are inserted into the slots and 6, with the base edges 43 in engagement with the base portions 9 and of the blank A, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5. In inserting the folded divider blanks into the slots 5 and 6, the walls '1 of the blank A are embraced by the edges of the slots 49 and 50, so that the divider blanks aid in maintaining the set-up condition of the body blank A. The divider blanks, as is apparent in Figs. 1 and 4, divide each of the main compartments of the container into three smaller compartments, as shown in Fig. 4.

After the folded divider blanks have been inserted into position, as described above, the blank B is folded at the lines 32 and 33, and areas 31a and 34, in the manner best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and is positioned over the body and dividers as shown in Fig. 2. In thus positioning the folded blank B, the handholes 39 and 40 are placed in registration with the handholes 7 and 8 respectively, the dividers enter the slots 41 and 42, and the portions 37 and 38 of the blank enter the slots 48 of the dividers, thereby mutually interlocking the parts B and the dividers to each other, as well as the part B to the body A. It will be noted that the parts 36 and 37 form, with the dividers a tier of shelves or bins which is in elevated position relatively to the lower compartments or bins, and in terraced or rearwardly ofiset relation to the latter, so as not to interfere with access to the lower compartments or bins.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 9, l0, l1 and 12, the container is generally similar in appearance to that already described, and in this form of the invention, the body and dividers are formed from blanks which are substantially identical with the blanks A and divider blanks C, except for some slight and nonessential differences in dimensions, and have therefore not been illustrated.

The blank B, however, as illustrated in Fig. 12, is made slightly different than the blank B, in thatthe fold lines 32 and 33' terminate short of the side edges of the blank, and slits 60 and 61 are provided, which extend from the lines 32 to the front edges 62 of the blank.

When the blank B is folded and placed in position, the portions of the blank between the slits 6i) and 61 provide the single central bin or shelf shown in Fig. 9. The portions of the blank outside the slits extend down to the base portions of the body of the container, as shown in Fig. 11, and are folded at the fold areas 34a to provide flaps 63 which rest on the base portions of the body of the container, as best shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

It is thus seen that I have provided a portable container which, although made of corrugated paper board or the like, is extremely strong and rigid, and is well adapted for the purposes for which it has been designed, namely, to hold or carry pipe fittings such as Ls, plugs, Ts, caps, unions, and the like. The containers are made of simple flat blanks which are quickly and easily folded and assembled and maintained in assembled condition by unitary or integral parts of container, and without the use of extraneous or separate fastening means or other means of attachment. The container has compartments or bins which are easily accessible for removal of fittings therefrom, and the front walls of these bins or compartments can be easily marked to indicate the contents thereof.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention, herewith shown and described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A portable container of the character described, comprising a unitary body part comprising a pair of vertical rear Walls, bases, end walls, and front walls in spaced relation to said rear walls, dividers removably secured to said rear walls and dividing the space between said rear walls and front walls into compartments, and a carrying element slidably secured to said rear walls, said carrying element having integral shelf portions supported by said dividers, said shelf portions being in rearwardly olfset relation to said front walls and in elevated relation to said base.

2. A portable container, as defined in claim 1, in which said end walls are provided with flaps disposed between said vertical rear walls and other flaps interlocked with said front walls.

3. A port-able container, as defined in claim 1, in which said dividers are provided with vertical slots, and said carrying element embraces said vertical rear walls and has front wall portions disposed in said divider slots.

4. A portable container, as defined in claim 1, in which said vertical walls and carrying element are provided with registering openings providing handholes for carrying the container.

5. A portable container of the character described comprising a central portion providing a pair of spaced vertical rear walls for the container, base portions extendingfrom the lower edges of said walls and forming a bottom for the container, end portions extending from said base portions and providing vertical end walls for the container, portions extending from the said base portions and providing double ply front walls for the container, and means interlocking said front walls to said base portions, said end portions having flaps extending therefrom into the space between said vertical rear wall and into the space between the plies of said front walls.

6. A portable container, as defined in claim 5, in which dividers are removably secured to said vertical rear walls and divide the container into a plurality of compartments.

7. A portable container, as defined in claim 6, including a member removably secured to said dividers, said member having rear wall portions, base portions in vertically-spaced relation to the base portions of the body, and other portions spaced forwardly from said rear wall portions of said members and forming front walls for said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,740,517 Evans Apr. 3, 1956 2,755,963 Ringler July 24, 1956 2,788,932 German Apr. 16, 1957 2,850,223 Strauss Sept. 2, 1958 

